Cable clamp



Get. 7

c. A. BUTLER CABLE CLAMP Filed Dec. 5. 1923 2 glans-Sheet. 1

0st. 7, 1924. v 1,510,921

C. A. BUTLER CABLE CLAMP Fil'ed Dec. 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented 0st, 7, 1924,

UNITEE STATES CHARLES A. Burma, or oKianLenE, canal-norm.

CABLE CLAMP.

Application filed December 3, 1923. Serial No. 678,282.

TolaZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Okmulgee, State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cable Clamps, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to cable clamps for well drilling apparatus.

In. drilling deep wells with the present cable tool apparatus, the tools are raised and dropped at the bottom of the well by means of a wire cable, one end of which is connected to the tools at the bottom of the well, and the other end is wound on the shaft of the bull wheels. When drilling commences, the cable is attached to the walking beam by means of a temper screw to which is suspended the clamp that grips the cable. There are several types of cable clamps in use, all of which include some form of means for tightening the clamp against the cable. Under modern conditions, as the wells have been drilled deeper and deeper, and the tools have become consequently larger and heavier, the old style of clamps are not sufficiently. operable to meet. the increase in weight, and cannot be depended upon under the heavier strains. Furthermore, the cable, is generally covered with oil, and the weight of the cable and tools is so great in a deep well, that it is necessary for the cable clamp to be very strong and to have great gripping power to hold the cable from slipping through the clamp jaws. I

I It is also necessary for the clamp to be so constructed that the cable may be slipped therethrough, and also that this slipping be controlled by the driller so that he can let the cable slip the desired length at any time, and the clamp then tightened on the cable, so that it will. hold without slipping again until the driller is ready to slip the cable once more. This manner of letting out the cable as the tools drill at the bottom of the well is being used a greatdeal, as it saves the driller the work-of turning out the temper screw, whichis another manner of lowering the cable; besides slipping the cable is much quicker and saves an enormous amount of time. I I

In certain instances, it has been proposed as possible in front, since it hangs nearly.

over the well hole when not in use, and if the clamp has a long jaw in front and a large ad usting screw attached to the outer end of the jaw, as in most of such constructions, they are very much 1n the way while the bailing operation is proceeding, or when running casing, and in general there is always something to catch on the clamp which is hanging over the hole and is long 'in front. I

One of the objects of the present inven-- tion is to provide a very powerfulcompact clamp constructed and arrangedso that the clamping jaws are relatively short and are consequently sufiiciently out of the way of rsiaaz the well so as not to impede the further.

drilling operations when the clamp is not in use. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a very powerful clamp in which the large adjusting screw is at the rear of the clamp where it will not be .in the way of the drilling operator, but will be within his.

easy reach at all timeswhile it is in use.

Still another object of the invention resides in constructing the jaw members of channel formation, thereby. reducing their tendency to spring under the clamping strain. I I I Yet another feature of the inventionresides in the novel manner of constructing the adjusting screw mechanism for drawing the jaws tightly together.

These and other objects will be apparent from a perusal of the following specification when taken in connection withthe ac.-

-companyingdrawings, wl1erein Figure 1 is a side view of the clamp as attached to the cable C;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

- Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of I Fig. 2; A Fig. 4 is a front view corresponding to Fig. 1; i

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view corresponding to F ig.. 2, showing'the jaws in open positlon, and

Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the plates for holding the jaws pivotally mounted on the main body of the clamp.

The cable clamp comprises a main body 1 having a solid center portion 2 and vertical grooves 3 and 4 on either side thereof. The rear of the body portion 1 is formed with upper and lower webs and 6, hereinafter described. Two jaws 7 and 8 are hinged to this body portion 1. These jaws are relatively long in a vertical plane and substantially short in a horizontal plane from front to rear and are preferably of channel formation to give rigidity and eliminate springiness. J aw 7 has formed thereon a rearward projection carrying on the upper and lower faces thereof the pivot studs or pins 10 adapted to pass through holes 12 in clamping plates 13 which in turn are fastened to the upper and lower faces of the body 1 by suitable fastening means 1 1-. Jaw 8 is: similarly pivoted in groove 4, being pivoted to the body 1 by means of similar pins 15 passing through holes 16 in plate 13. Each of the aws are provided with tapered. grooves fortified with liners 17 and 18 which have their gripping faces grooved to fit in holding relation with the cable C. These liners are held in place by set screws 9.

The jaws 7 and 8 have forwardly extending channel shaped levers 20 and 21. respectively, which extend horizontally from the sides opposite frame 1. The lever extension 20 on jaw 7 is longer than that of jaw 8 and is provided at its outer end with a link 22 which is hingedly connected thereto as by passing through a hole 23 in the jaw.

The shorter jaw 21 is channeled to receive a lever 25 which is pivoted thereto, as: at 24. The opposite end of this lever 25 is bifurcated to provide upper and lower spaced ears 26 and 27. These ears are perforated to pivotally receive pins 28 and 29 which pass through registering openings in a swivelblock 30. Fastening pins 31 and 32 pern1 nently connect these pins 28 and 29 to the swivel-block 30. Swivel-block is formed with a central opening through which freely passes a long adjusting screw 33 provided on its outer end with a turning bar 34. A thrust bearing 35 is arranged between a facing on this bar and the swivel-block 30 to permit free turning between the block and the screw. The inner end of screw 33 threads through a second swivehblock 35 which is mounted on upper and lower pins 36 and 37 pivotally mounted in openings in the upper and lower ledges 5 and 6 respectively. Pins 38 and 39 connect the swivel-block 35 with its pivotal pins 36 and 37.

The upper portion of each jaw 7 and 8 is provided with a laterally extending arm 40 perforated to receive a bolt 41 which. threads into an intermediate jaw portion 42. Links a3 and 44- are thus secured to the jaws.

These links constitute the means for suspending the clamp from the temper screw as is well known to those skilled in the art.

The forward end of lever 25 is formed with a curved recess 45 to receive the free end of link 22 whereby the free ends of aws 20 and 21 can be held together. Fig. 6 of the drawings illustrates the clamp with the jaws wide open and Fig. 2 gives a corre sponding view with the aws closed. A finger piece 46 is made a part of lever 25 to facilitate the opening and closing of these jaw portions.

Operation.

in the operation of the clamp, referring to Fig. 6 particularly, the adjusting screw 33 is turned outwardly thereby swinging lever 25 about its pivot 21 so that the front end of this lever will swing toward the lever 20 and the outer end of lever .26 will swing away from the main body 5. This will permit the link 22 to swing clear of its circular notch 45, and the clamp thereby removed from the cable. In order to put the clamp on the cable, the link 22 is first hooked over the forward end of lever 25 into the notch 4-5, after which. the adjusting screw 33 is turned. in, thereby drawing the long end 26 of lever 25 inwardly so as to tip the short end up thereby drawing jaw 8 toward jaw 7, and by virtue of the fulcrum of jaw 8 on the main body 5 as at the pivot pin 15, and the pivotal mounting of the jaw 20 on main body 1, as at the pivotal point 10, the aws are drawn together as the end of lever 25 is drawn in. by the adjusting screw. When the grooved jaws 17 and 18 come in contact with the cable, and screw 33 is further tightened, the cable is caught in a vice-like grip and held until the screw 33 is released. By means of the swivel mounting of the adjusting screw 33 in the end26 of lever 25, and the corresponding swivel. mounting of the adjusting screw threading into the swivel block carried by the pivotal pins 36, the swinging of the lever 25 relatively to the jaw 21 and the pivotal movement of jaw 21 about its pivot 15 on the main body 1 is provided.

In actual details of construction, the clamp is substantially about six inches long in. front. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that the powerful action of the clamp is accomplished by doubling the leverage of the clamping jaws backwardly over itself. which permits the short front jaws and allows the adjusting screw to be located at the rear of the jaws where it is out of the way of the well. It will further be noted that by the construction of the side lever 25 having the adjusting screw 33 attached to its long end, the lever 25 being pivoted at 24 to the short jaw 21, and link 22 which is connected to jaw 20 and hooked over the notch L5 on the short end of lever 25, gives approximately a slxteen to one leverage, which is about twice as much as in cable clamps heretofore constructed, and

estimating that the screw 21 is capable of exerting five tons of gripping pressure on a cable with such a construction, a pressure of about sixty tons will be exerted by the clamping jaws on the cable. This side lever action of the clamp is an important feature of the invention.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is I 1. A cable clamp for well drilling apparatus comprising a main body, a pair of relatively short jaws pivo-tally mounted on and extending forwardly of said body so as to receive the cable between them, a lever piv otally mounted near its front end to the front end of one of said jaws to provide a short forwardly extending leg and a long rearwardly extending leg of said lever,

means detachably connecting the short leg of said lever with the other jaw, and adjustable means on the long end of said lever for drawing said long end toward said main body whereby to clamp said jaws to gether.

2. A device of the class described comprising a main body, jaws pivoted to one side of said body, a lever pivoted to one of said jaws, means detachably connecting the free end of one jaw with the short leg of said pivoted lever, and means for exerting pressure on th long end of said pivoted lever for forcing said jaws together.

3. A device of the class described comprising a supporting body, relatively short jaws pivotally arranged so as to project a relatively short distance therefrom to receive the cable therebetween, a lever pivotally arranged on one of said jaws with the long leg of the lever extending rearwardly of said support, means to detachably connect the front of one jaw to the short leg of said lever, and means to exert pressure on the long end of said lever to thereby froce said j aws together.

4:. A device of the class described comprising a main body, opposed jaws of channel cross section pivotally mounted thereon and provided with relatively extensive opposed cable clamping surfaces, a lever pivoted near one end thereof to one of said jaws near its free end and extending rearwardly of said body, a link connected to the free end of the opposite jaw and detachably connectible to the short end of said lever, and an adjusting screw carried by the free long end of said lever adapted to engage the rear of said body for clamping said jaws together on operation of said screw.

5. A device of the class described comprising a main support having spaced grooves, a pair of short opposed jaws each having a rounded fulcrum portion disposed to rock in said grooves, means for holding said jaws imposition on said support, a lever pivoted to the front portion of one of said jaws and extending rearwardly and laterally thereof, a link detachably connecting the short front leg of said lever with the front end of said other jaw, and an adjusting screw mounted on the rear extremity of the long leg of said lever adapted to engage saidsupport for clamping said jaws together.

6. A device of the class described comprising a main support having spaced rounded grooves, opposed aws each having a round fulcrum portion disposed in said groove and upper and lower pins, opposed plates fastened to the top and bottom of said support and provided with holes to receive said pins whereby to detachably connect said pins to said support, a lever pivoted to the front portion of one jaw and arranged to extend rearwardly and laterally of said jaw, a link connected to the other jaw and adapted to slip over the free short end of said lever, and an adjusting screw swiveled to the free end of the long leg of said lever and adapted to thread into a swivel-block carried by the rear portion of said main support.

7. A device of the class described comprising a main support having a front face formed with spaced rounded grooves and a rear face formed with spaced. ledges. opposed jaws each having a round fulcrum portion disposed ina groove and each hav ing upper and lower pins, upper and lower plates detachably mounted on the top and bottom of said main support and formed with holes to receive said upper and lower pins, a lever pivoted to the front of one of said jaws, a link connected to the other jaw and adapted to slip over the short front end of said lever, an adjusting screw swiveled to the free end of the long extremity of said lever, and a swivel-block mounted between the rear ledge of said main support and threadedly engaging said adjusting screw.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature. 

